“What other things?”
“I need to put her on my insurance, and in order to do that, I’m gonna have to have a name. Craighead also suggested a doctor. I don’t know if there are any baby doctors in Cactus Gulch.”
“I can help there. I’m sure there are some connected with the clinic at the hospital.” She gave him a compassionate glance. “But we might need a social security number for that.”
“Which we get after we get the birth certificate.” Avery sighed.
“Well, we may have to ask, even before we can file for a number.”
Avery nodded. “And probably we’ll have to call Craighead to help us get through it all.”
“I know, it’s crazy,” she whispered. “So much we need to do, but that little piece of paper acknowledging her birth keeps us from doing a lot. Have you thought about a name?”
“I’d like to make it unique. Something that will make her stand out.”
“Gotcha.” Haley paused. “What about Elizabeth, or Anne, or Mary? Those are royal names that come to mind. I mean, since you call her Princess.”
He grinned. “See I was going for Elsa, Belle, Cindy, or maybe Aurora.”
“Disney, huh?” Haley grinned back.
“She looks like one of his heroines.”
“I kind of like Aurora,” Haley admitted. “But it sounds a little strange with Johnson.”
“Yeah,” Avery admitted in defeat.
The truck wove its way along the road. A few minutes later, Haley spoke again.
“What about this one, Jolicia?”
“Jolicia? Where’d you get that one?”
Haley shrugged. “My mom and Mrs. Davis.”
“Jolicia Johnson. It has a nice ring. I kind of like it.”
“Me too,” Haley replied. “Now you have to pick out a middle name.”
“If I knew her mother, I could use her maiden name.”
“How about your mother’s maiden name?” Haley asked.
“My mom’s? Her maiden name was Brook,” he said. “Jolicia Brook Johnson.”
Haley grinned. “Jolicia Brook Johnson it is.”
He reached out, grabbed her hand, and gave it a squeeze.
She glanced down at his hand and felt the warmth slide up her arm, calming the fluster of nerves she’d had since leaving Craighead’s office. She turned her hand and laced her fingers through his. She caught his look, startled by the deep longing in his eyes.
“It’s gonna be okay, Avery.”
He squeezed her hand.
****
“Hello?” Avery called as he opened the door and entered his home.
“Welcome back.” Josephine Thorpe smiled as she looked up from folding clothes. “Hope you don’t mind, Haley. I thought I’d help you get a head start on the laundry.”
“Thanks, Mom. Baby sleeping?” Haley asked as she set her pocketbook on the coffee table and sat down in the chair.
“She is. Such a perfect thing. I swear she gets cuter every day.”
Haley glanced up at Avery, who walked past her and winked.
“How did it go with the lawyer?” her mom asked.
“Not too bad,” Haley replied. Bending, she slipped the pumps off her feet and wiggled her toes.
“Any word on the DNA test?”
Haley shook her head. “Not yet, but Mr. Craighead has some good ideas on how to help. Mom, is there a pediatrician in town?”
“Yes, I think so. I can ask Belinda. She works down at the clinic part time. Why?”
“Mr. Craighead suggested we have one give Jolicia a look-over,” Avery replied, coming into the room with two glasses of ice tea. He handed one to Haley.
“Thanks.” Haley murmured and took a sip.
“Jolicia? Who’s…” The realization sank in.
Haley and Avery watched as she clutched the blanket she held in her hands close to her chest. “Oh, Haley. Avery.” Her glance shifted between them. “You named the baby.” Her eyes grew misty. “You named her after Alicia and me.”
“Your mom catches on quickly.” Avery smiled. “The lawyer told us we needed to make things permanent. I can’t go around calling her Princess for the rest of her life.”
He walked back to the kitchen. Josephine stared at Haley, her eyes wide with wonder. Haley took another sip to hide her smile as his footsteps signaled he was moving back to the living room.
“Haley, I’m going to check the fence line on the south pasture. See you at supper.”
“Sure.” Haley looked up and smiled.
To her surprise, Avery leaned down and pressed his lips to her cheek. Turning to her mother, he gave a nod.
“Take care, Miss Jo. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes, take care,” she mumbled and turned her head to watch him leave.
Haley said nothing. With her mother’s head turned, she reached up and touched the side of her cheek where Avery’s lips had left their mark.
“My gracious!” Josephine remarked and turned to face her daughter.
Haley quickly brought her hand down and tried to appear unshaken by the action.
“Haley, you’re blushing!”
“I am?” Her hand flew to cover her cheeks. “You must be mistaken. It’s just the heat.” She rose and picked up her shoes. “I’m going to put these into my room.”
Moving to her room, she softly pushed the door open and set the shoes at the end of her bed before she tiptoed to the edge of the crib and looked down at the sleeping cherub. “Hey there, Jolicia. Your daddy picked a beautiful name for you.”
The baby stretched, her little arms shooting straight over her head and a tiny squeak issuing from her lips.
Haley grinned. “You stretch. I’m gonna change.”
She shrugged out of her skirt and blouse, leaving them folded across the foot of her bed, and then pulled on a pair of jeans and a comfortable T-shirt.
The infant in the crib rustled the sheet, and Haley hurried over and picked her up, cradling her into her arms. She smiled down at the infant.
“Hello, Jolicia. Or do you prefer your middle name, Brook?”
The baby looked up and gave her a toothless grin.
“Playing hard to get, are you?”
Haley chuckled and tickled her tummy. The child smiled and pumped her legs in delight. Carrying the baby into the living room, she sat back down in the chair and held her on her knees.
“Aren’t you a cute thing,” she cooed.
As she talked to the child, she could feel her mother’s gaze. With Jolicia fascinated by a rattle, she summoned her courage and looked in her mother’s direction.
“What?”
Josephine put down the towel she was folding. “That was an awfully cozy moment between you and Avery.”
Haley held her ground and didn’t look away. “I suppose you could put it that way.”
Josephine’s right eyebrow shot up. “Honey, I don’t want to tell you what to do.”
“Then don’t, Mama,” Haley cautioned.
“Does he know about Joey?”
Haley nodded. She looked at the child. “He knows. He knows that he left me for another woman. He doesn’t know about how he cleaned out our banking account. I just told the lawyer that I came home to work on the ranch and pay off debts.”
“Don’t you think you should tell him?”
Haley lifted her shoulders. “Right now, it doesn’t help him find the mother of this child or get custody of her.” She pulled the child close. “Craighead suggested we look more like a couple.”
“How do you feel about that?”
A rush of emotions filled Haley. Her eyes misted. “I’m not sure.” She glanced at her mother. “It’s not like when we were in high school, Mom. Avery has a head on his shoulders now. He loves this little girl.” She brushed away a tear that found her cheek. “To be honest, so do I.”
“Is it enough?” her mother asked. “Is it enough to risk your heart?”
Haley thought about her mother’s question,
then stared at her mom and gave a vigorous nod. “Yes. He’s changed. I’ve changed. This child deserves a shot at a wonderful life.”
Josephine nodded. “All right, I will do all in my power to support you and Avery. I’m sure that Mr. and Mrs. Davis feel the same.”
“Thanks, Mama.”
“Now, let me hold my namesake.” Josephine held out her arms, and Haley handed over the smiling baby.
****
“Pull that line of wire tight,” Avery called to Seth as he positioned the U-shaped Clovis nail against the post.
“Tight enough?” Seth asked, his face red from the amount of pressure he was applying to the wire to hold it taut.
“Tight enough,” Avery sang out as the hammer found the curved top of the metal nail and it sank deep into the wood.
One nail securely in, Avery reached into the pocket of his denims and produced another. Once it was likewise tacked in, Seth released the tension on the wire, and both men stood back to observe their handiwork.
“Good job, Daddy.”
Avery gave his friend a surly glare. “You gonna keep this up?”
Seth chuckled. “For a bit, Pappy.”
Avery shook his head and slid the hammer into the belt of his chaps. “One of these days, that wide loop is going to snare you, too.”
“Maybe, but I’ll watch you and learn from your mistakes.”
Avery took a deep breath. “I’ve sure made a few.” He pointed at the roll of wire. “Okay, let’s go to the next pole.”
Seth bent down and slid the thick stick through the center of the roll of wire, then let the wire roll until he reached the next fence pole.
“These cows take particular pride in tearing up wire,” he groused.
Avery laughed. “They seem to pick the most inaccessible spots, that’s for sure. Pull tight.”
Seth leaned back, and the wire straightened. He watched Avery position another nail.
“By the way, how are you and Haley making out?”
Avery adjusted the wire and then removed the nail from between his teeth. “Fine. Why?”
“She tell you why she came home?”
“She told Mr. Craighead she came home to pay off some bills.”
Seth grew quiet. Avery felt a dark cloud darken his heart. He tapped the nail in, then paused. “You getting at something?”
“I don’t want you to get mad.”
Avery stepped back and looked at his friend. “I’ll be a whole lot madder if you don’t tell me what you’re getting at.”
Seth took a deep breath. “She came home, all right. Joey left her for another woman.”
“I know that,” Avery replied and stepped up to angle his hammer.
“He wiped out their checking account, sold her car, and when she didn’t have any more money, he took his anger out on her.”
Avery stared at the post. “Did he hurt her?”
“I don’t know the extent of it. I know that Mama and Miss Jo went out there. Mama came back pretty quick, so you never missed her, but Miss Jo stayed for a couple of weeks before she brought Haley home.”
“She’s not said anything about that.”
“Didn’t think she would. Haley’s kind of a private person now. Don’t hurt her, Avery.”
“I won’t. I owe her a lot, Seth. She’s pretty special in my book.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I know you guys had a thing in high school. If it was meant to be, maybe this will bring you closer.”
“Yeah,” Avery agreed. “Maybe it will.”
He concentrated on the post. With every swing of the hammer, he imagined his fist slamming into Joey’s face. Why hadn’t Haley told him the whole story? Did she think he wouldn’t care? Then he recalled her words about Jolicia’s absentee mother: You’re a little bit scary when you get mad. Yeah, he had a temper when he was younger. His brow furrowed. Maybe, after supper, he’d bring the subject up.
“Okay, to the next post.”
****
Avery was glad to finish that section of the south pasture and head on back to the house. The shadows had long since settled on the yard. He was bone weary and tired. Pausing at the barn door, he glanced over at the house. Just a few months ago, he’d have come home to a dark house, grabbed a cold beer, and made supper out of a bag of potato chips.
But the light in the window meant a big change.
He was growing accustomed to coming home to a hot meal and a smiling face. In all honesty, he enjoyed it. It was nice to have someone to share the stresses of the day. It was comforting to wash dishes together and find himself the recipient of Haley’s broad smiles. In fact, had Seth asked, he would have told him he preferred her company to that of the cowboys down at the Lucky Quarter.
Pushing away from the door, he slung his chaps over his shoulder and walked toward the house.
He opened the door and could hear Haley talking to the baby as the aroma of pot roast rushed to greet him. He dropped his chaps on the chair by the door and slid his boots off so as not to track shavings and dirt across the rugs she’d probably vacuumed earlier in the day. He peeked around the corner and saw Jolicia opening her mouth as Haley spooned in some pulverized green beans.
“How are my girls?” he asked.
Haley looked up, and her face brightened. “Jolicia, look, it’s Daddy.”
The baby turned her head and let the green beans drip down the side of her mouth. Her hands hit the flat of the high chair tray with a racket.
“My gracious, what a greeting.”
Avery walked over and plastered a kiss on the top of the baby’s head. “Everything go okay this afternoon?”
Haley nodded. “Yes, no problems. Mom left around four, so I cleaned the living room and gave Jolicia her bath.”
Avery washed his hands in the sink. Leaning a hip on the side of the counter, he dried his hands on the towel while he watched as Haley fed his daughter. Seth’s comments filled his mind. He couldn’t imagine anyone taking their anger out on her.
“Avery?”
He blinked.
“Sorry, lost in thought.”
“So it appears.” Haley smiled. “Why don’t you take Jolicia into the other room while I get this cleaned up? Our supper will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Sure.”
He stepped over to the upstretched hands of his daughter and swept her into his arms. “Hey, there, Princess,” he whispered. “I can still call you that because we’re walking into the living room, leaving Miss Haley alone for a few minutes.”
The baby smiled and touched his lips.
Avery blew a raspberry against them, to her delight. Then he placed her on the floor, spread out a thick quilt, and pulled a few teething toys onto the blanket. He set her in the middle of the blanket and joined her, lying on his side and marveling at her movements.
“What do you think of Miss Haley?”
She stopped shaking her toy and rolled to one side to look at him.
“Is she spoiling you?”
The baby grinned.
“I thought so.”
He reached out and shook the toy grasped tightly in her hand. They played for a few minutes longer, and then Jolicia gave a big yawn.
“Ah, someone needs a nap.”
Avery got to his feet and scooped his daughter into his arms. Walking past the kitchen, he called to Haley. “Someone is yawning. I’m going to put her down.”
“Okay, supper is just about ready. No playing after she’s in the crib.”
“Miss Haley’s no fun, is she, Princess.”
The baby gave a soft smile as her lashes dipped lower toward her cheeks. A quick diaper change and he placed her into the crib.
“Sleep tight,” he murmured, and tucked the blanket around her body.
As he stepped quietly into the dining room, Avery watched Haley place a glass of sweet tea beside his plate. She turned and glanced over her shoulder.
“Jolicia asleep?”
“Yep.” Avery moved to his chair a
nd took his seat.
“Well, we might get dinner to ourselves tonight.”
“If we’re lucky.” He chuckled. “Pot roast looks good.”
“Hope you like it.”
Avery put his napkin in his lap. “I haven’t met a meal you’ve fixed yet that I didn’t.”
She blushed at his praise.
They ate, talking about things Craighead had advised them to do.
“Mom’s going to talk to Belinda and get the pediatrician’s name at the clinic.”
“Good,” Avery replied. “I want to make sure she’s okay.”
Haley put her fork down on her plate. “Oh, I think she is. I mean, she’s adjusted so well.”
Avery nodded. The silence between them grew.
“Haley?”
“Yes?”
He paused. Maybe this was not the best time to bring it up. “Nothing.”
Haley leaned her head to one side. “Avery, what’s wrong?”
He glanced down at his plate and pushed some of the potatoes around with his fork. “I was working with Seth today.”
“Okay.” The word came from Haley’s lips in slow motion as if she were sounding out each letter. “And?”
Avery took a deep breath and looked across the table at her. “He told me some things.”
“Things?” Her head furrowed with the word. “I—I don’t understand.”
He reached out and touched her hand. “He told me that Joey drained your bank account.”
“He did.”
“That he sold your car and…” Avery wasn’t sure he could bring himself to say what came next.
Haley grew pale. She swallowed and looked away for a moment. Then, turning her head, she met his glance. “Did he tell you that Joey abused me?”
Avery nodded. He watched as she pulled her hands back and placed them in her lap.
“It’s true. I didn’t want to admit that my marriage was over. I was foolish. I thought if I confronted him, he’d beg forgiveness.”
“He didn’t?” Avery asked.
Haley gave a sarcastic laugh. “No. It only served to make him horribly angry. I didn’t know it at the time, but Joey was hooked on drugs. That was his new girlfriend’s doing.”
“Haley, I’m sorry. I have no right to ask.”
“Yes, Avery, you do. You need to know for Jolicia’s sake. I spent two weeks in the hospital for some broken ribs and a bruised spleen. It wasn’t pretty.”
Baby on His Doorstep Page 7
